May 24

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, May 24, Pentecost

JOHN 20:19-23

I give you the Holy Spirit.

Prayerthoughts
a. The Lord wishes his disciples “peace.” Do I always bring peace to the situations that I am in or am I more argumentative?

b. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Jesus gives his task to his disciples. What was that task, and how am I involved in it at the present time.

c. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to his disciples. I have also received the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation. Has the Spirit made me a person of love toward all?

d. It is significant that the Lord immediately centers in on forgiveness after He gives them the Holy Spirit. Do I forgive others well? Am I able to forgive myself when I think of my sins?

e. What gift of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, right judgment, knowledge, courage, reverence, fear of the Lord—is most necessary for me at the present time? Why?

f. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 and write an important thought from it.

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USING THE GRACES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

+ There are many stories connected with Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, and my guess is that many of them are not true

- but according to this legend, there was a man by the name of Pietri Bandinelli

- whom da Vinci used as a model for Jesus in his painting of “The Last Supper”

- excellent profile, strong appearance, the picture of holiness

- a little later da Vinci was also looking for an image of Judas

- the image of Judas was one of the last ones he painted, and it took him some time to find a model for him

- not being able to find one, da Vinci finally decided to go to the slums of Milan

- and after a while, found the person he was looking for

- cloudy eyes, harsh face, evidently had a hard life

- after da Vinci obtained the man’s permission and was sketching him, getting Judas ready for his painting,

- he thought that he had seen the man before, so he asked him “Have we met?”

- very embarrassed, the man said, “Yes, I’m Pietri Bandinelli; much has changed since you chose me to be your Jesus.”

+ In a sense, every one of us decides whether we are a Jesus or a Judas

- because we have the choice to be either,

- because we have the Lord’s promise that he will give us the Holy Spirit to be what we should be

- we either use the Holy Spirit’s graces or we don’t

+ For example, just study the virtues that Paul mentions to the Galatians in the second reading (or one of the readings that we use at Pentecost)

-- love: the Holy Spirit has given to every one of us the graces we need to truly love

- whether it be our spouses or our family or the people around us, even the ones we don’t particularly care for

-- joy: the Holy Spirit has given to every one of us the graces we need to be people of joy

- even in the face of things that happen that are not so joyful

-- peace: the Holy Spirit has given to us the graces we need to be people of peace,

-- or to obtain those other virtues he mentions—patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

- we have the grace that we need right now so that we can really have these characteristics of holiness

+ It boils down to whether we want to accept the characteristics of holiness or not

- most of us would say, “Of course, I want to”—in here, in front of the Blessed Sacrament, in front of others, as we have come to Church

- but do we really?

- when it comes to the tough Christian virtues—love and forgiveness, and the like,

- do we want to have those virtues in our lives with everyone?

- even if it means that we have to change some things that we are doing right now?

+ You and I have the possibility of being a Jesus in our world

- we have the grace because we have the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised

- unfortunately, we can choose to neglect that grace as well

- as Pietri Bandinelli did

- the Lord never will take away our free will

- one of the quotes that I often use is G. K. Chesterton’s famous quote about Christians, you and me, and how we go about our lives:

“Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not even tried.”

- the Holy Spirit calls us to try it!

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MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Interstellar" -- beginning session

A NECESSARY SACRIFICE

The Gospel

MARK 9:33-35

They came to Capernaum, and once inside the house, [Jesus] began to ask them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."

Gospelthink: I told my disciples that they had to servants. In my dealings with people around me, do I consider myself a servant?

The movie "Interstellar" is the story of the world on the edge of extinction because of lack of necessary food and a deteriorating climate. A western farmer whom we come to know as "Cooper" was a once-upon-a-time astronaut who had turned to farming. Discovering that NASA had relocated and was involved in trying to figure out a way to "save the world," he found himself called back to the program. The directors ask him to pilot a spacecraft that would hopefully discover an alternate world in which to move Earth's population. Saying "yes" to his situation, Cooper understood that his new calling would place enormous pressure on his existing family, especially his children, and in particular, his youngest child, Murph, a very intelligent young person who truly loved her father and did not want him to leave.

As Christians venerate the Apostles and consider their interaction with Jesus, we often come up with the thought that they must have been very holy and perhaps a little gifted considering their accomplishments. After all, Jesus gave them power to perform miracles and help people in a unique way. The truth is, as witnessed to by many Gospel passages, the Apostles had very human difficulties. They liked their importance, they became jealous of one another, and Jesus had to constantly teach them the way to be the people that they should be.

The Apostles probably wanted to be the way that they were before and change as little as possible. They soon became aware that their future calling was much more than they had originally thought. It is the lesson of maturity. No doubt it affected them as well as their families who probably had no idea what they were doing.

It is not unlike the situation of Cooper and his family in the movie "Interstellar." Once Cooper understood what he had to do as he literally "tried to save the world," he knew that he had to do it. His children, of course, did not understand it, and suffered as a result, but they eventually did understand it, especially Cooper's daughter Murph. The beauty of the movie is that their understanding is an integral part of the movie.

We should not miss the idea that the Apostles began a new life to "save the world" as Jesus wanted it, and Cooper wanted to "save the world" as we have come to know it. We should not miss it because without too much imagination, it is exactly what the Christian is called to do--save the world as best we can in our own way. We must all grow in maturity, and as we do, we will gradually realize the importance of what we are called to.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son called the Apostles to begin a new life with him. Guide us to see that we have the same calling in our own personal way, and allow the calling to lead us to greater maturity. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Every future calling in life will place challenges to one's present living status.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 78 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie was most striking to you? Why?
2. The incident of the Gospel is yet another example of the Apostles' misunderstanding of Jesus. From your knowledge of the Gospels, why did the Apostles have such a difficult time understanding Jesus?
3. The Gospel passage brings out the importance of being a servant to the world. In your opinion, have most Christians truly understood what it means to be a servant? Yes or no and why?
4. Although we would not discuss "who is the greatest" in our common parlance, in what areas do you see "pride and jealousy" as a problem for our world?
5. In your opinion, why did Jesus choose the Apostles as he did in the Gospels?
6. The point of the use of this passage with the movie is that the Apostles had to leave their families to follow Jesus because it was a "higher calling." Using your imagination, how do you think the families managed to cope with their loss?
7. Define your own understanding of "growing in maturity."
8. Name some situations in today's world in which people must give up their families in order to do what they are doing.
9. In terms of the importance of the different callings in life, what is the most important calling that a human being can have?
10. Scene analysis: The "1930's" look of the dust bowls Great Depression. In your opinion, as you have studied history, what was most difficult about those times? Why?
11. Analysis: Murph thinks her room is "haunted." What is your opinion about places that seem to be "haunted"?
12. Scene analysis: NASA believes that Cooper is "chosen." Do you believe that God works this way with us, "choosing" us to do the walk of life that we have chosen? Yes or no and why?
13. Scene analysis: the crew makes the decision to go to Miller's Planet, possibly losing a number of Earth years in the process. What type of preparation should we have in order to make such a momentous decision?
14. Scene analysis: Brand makes the decision to explore when she does not have the time, costing them years, but Cooper forgives her. Given the situation of the movie, why is it important that Cooper shows the forgiveness?
15. Scene analysis: back on the space station Endurance, Cooper and the others review the tapes that have been sent to them over the years they missed. If you had amnesia and did not remember the years before this point in your life, what would be the first couple of things that you would like to know? Why?